


we can be immortals

by poeticaid



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Reincarnation, Suicidal Thoughts, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-29 21:46:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18786844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poeticaid/pseuds/poeticaid
Summary: Achilles looks at the moon longingly, with a sigh. "Sometimes I wish I was dead."Patroclus raises a brow, busily fumbling around his pockets until he finds his lighter and a cigarette stick. "Youaredead- you're a vampire."Achilles looks at him with sadness and knowing in his eyes, as if he has had this conversation with all of Patroclus' incarnations. "It is not the same."Based on thisprompt:





	we can be immortals

The cold night air whips through them, like a ghost whispering in their ear, the rustling of the leaves in the trees giving off that eerie vibe that he was not alone in the forest. And yes, he was not alone. The moon shines on the lone figure walking to the park, and not away from it, and the lanterns are out of light.

Patroclus fumbles over his sweater as he tries to get his cigarettes and lighter without his scarf falling off his neck. He succeeds and lights one cigarette stick up with his lighter, and finds a bench in the dark park where he can sit. There, he waits. He waits for nature, to warp its mind, to create all these montrosities that he keeps seeing on television, every single photograph that is mindfully disturbing. He didn't bring his cellphone; he has no interest on taking a picture on something supernatural and sell it online, no, he is here to _talk_ to them themselves.

Patroclus has always been living in fear, in fear of his father finding out his secret, in fear of his classmates and them intimidating him, and in fear of his friends leaving him. Patroclus is not afraid of the supernatural, they are only vignettes from people's minds and are fed by the media into believing them, turning them into _real_ creatures and not those he has always feared of, as a human.

Patroclus has smoked through three cigarette sticks when something remotely entertaining happened during that cold night. As Patroclus was lighting up his fourth cigarette, there was a shadow, from one of the tallest tree's branches. The shadow had red eyes, and Patroclus had almost dropped his cigarette and lighter to the ground. He blinks once; the shadow disappeared. Patroclus lets out an exhale, unaware of the fact that he had been holding his breath when he saw the shadow.

"Hello."

Patroclus _jumps_ at the voice, looking around to find who said that to him. All he sees is the familiar silhouette he has seen, and he blinks his eyes multiple times and narrows them to see if he wasn't hallucinating. The shadow starts to _float_ towards him, and Patroclus keeps control of his breathing and just smokes to calm himself down. This is a mistake of nature he has been waiting for. To witness.

"H-Hi", Patroclus manages to say back. The figure tilts his head, and Patroclus can't help but feel familiar around him.

"You are very familiar", the figure says, his voice deep and rich, that Patroclus can't help but _swoon_ over it, but stops at the last second.

"I'm sorry? I don't think we ever met before, until now."

"Patroclus, I have been living for five thousand years. I know how you look and how you act all this time."

Patroclus was taken aback. He drops the cigarette and steps on it, preferring to study the shadow of the man before him. He has red eyes, but that is the only defining feature around him. He is hidden in the shadows, camouflaged in the night, and Patroclus has suspicions that he is only trying to pique his interest, to believe that he was some sort of mistake in nature.

"Who are you, and what do you want from me?", Patroclus demands, standing up and walking away from the shadow, only to see it following him, which is now making him anxious. He tries for running, but for a shadow, it seems to be almost faster than him keeping up on him. Then, by some divine intervention, he trips on a root and falls on the pavement.

"Are you all right?", the shadow asks, concern lacing his voice.

"I'm fine." Patroclus replies, surrendering to the shadow for now. "Who are you?"

"Patroclus, do you truly not remember me? We shared so many happy memories together."

Patroclus raises his eyebrow, and crosses his arms. "No."

The figure sheds his shadow and steps closer to Patroclus, to reveal a familiar blonde man. Patroclus stands, agape, looking at the man he had thought he has lost forever, to so many bloodshed, and their wasted lifetime together. Suddenly, the pain on his jaw does not compare to the pain in his heart, to see how beautiful Achilles still is, and to see how sad at how much Achilles had changed through all milleniums they have not seen each other.

Achilles' warm golden blonde curls that used to glisten in the sunlight had lost its color; it is dull, and did not have its warmth anymore. His beautiful green eyes that Patroclus was cursed to look at forever to see the murky ponds and the forests or emeralds were replaced with red, the color of blood, the bloodshed of the Trojan War. His sun-kissed skin is deathly pale, too pale, as if Achilles, the golden boy himself, had not been touched by the sun for centuries. Finally, the smile that has escaped him. It was the _same_ , but different at the same time.

Patroclus, with tears in his eyes, hugs his long lost love, and they stay there, embracing each other for minutes. Patroclus was crying onto Achilles' shoulder, his knees weak due to the feeling of being _complete_ for once in his life. His lover is here.

Patroclus breaks the hug and kisses Achilles' cheek, who receives it warmly. "What... _how_ did you turn out like this? A vampire, lurking in the shadows to wait for me?"

Achilles smiles sadly. "I have paid a price to overcome death, to fulfill my mother's desire of me living forever. I have walked through this earth to fulfill my desire, my _only_ desire: you."

Patroclus shakes his head, trails of tears raining down from his cheeks. "History obliterates. You shouldn't have granted your mother's wish on becoming alive to become a monster lurking in the dark."

Achilles kisses Patroclus' forehead. "Yes. But I wish to see you again, and I find you, in every single lifetime after your death. And every single time, I lose you. I love you so much, it hurts when I lose you."

"But you can always see me in Elysium!"

"The day, before I died... the death that had been codified by everyone, with Paris shooting an arrow at me... I was attacked by a creature of the dark. It is when I stopped caring if I will lose my glory. My mother found me, still alive, but writhing at the feeling of the sun burning my skin. She was _thrilled_ at the news of me being alive, uncaring of my predicament. Once she has faded away, with all the other gods, I decided to search for your reincarnation, and I did, through many tales, and they all end in tragedy, one by one." Achilles wipes away the tears in his eyes, and Patroclus kisses him, this time in the lips.

After the kiss they stare at each other, love in their eyes. Patroclus sighs. "I wish that it could end in a way better, _happier_ than this." He meets his lover's eyes. "I will die, sooner or later."

"And I will die, then rise again as I find your new reincarnation. To the end of the world, to the end of time, I shall look for you."

"Then it is your choice, to see me, dead, or to watch me die as my life flashes in my eyes."

Achilles looks at the moon longingly, with a sigh. "Sometimes I wish I was dead."

Patroclus raises a brow, busily fumbling around his pockets until he finds his lighter and a cigarette stick. "You _are_ dead- you're a vampire."

Achilles looks at him with sadness and knowing in his eyes, as if he has had this conversation with all of Patroclus' incarnations. "It is not the same."

**Author's Note:**

> yes, i'm going to write Achilles and the reincarnations of Patroclus when I have ideas.  
> also i wrote this in one go lmao


End file.
